


The Possibility of Judgement

by Bi_stalar



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Quarter Elves, Reunions, de Rolo Twins, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 07:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21095954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bi_stalar/pseuds/Bi_stalar
Summary: The second and third de Rolos had just arrived in the world, yet their father was sitting in the backyard of the Third house of Whitestone, blaming himself for bringing the inevitable future that his second born would have to endure.(A future fic about the twin de Rolo children)





	The Possibility of Judgement

The second and third de Rolos had just arrived in the world, yet their father was sitting in the backyard of the Third house of Whitestone, blaming himself for bringing the inevitable future that his second born would have to endure. 

Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III had made too many pacts in his life, so he supposed the circumstances he had wrought were not uncalled for. He and Vex had just not talked about it enough, he supposed. He also supposed that no amount of talking about it would have prepared either of them for what had happened.

Trinket, who had been banned from the house once Vex had begun the process, because he was too protective of her, and didn’t quite understand what was going on, huffed at Percy. If he wasn’t allowed to be with Vex while she was in pain, _Percy_ should.

“I know, I know, it’s just a lot to take in, to process, to wrap my head around.” Percy said to the bear, who just stared at him.

“I know we considered it, talked about it a little, but I never really prepared for it to actually happen,” Percy repeated what he’d been thinking, with an air of a mixture of desperation, disappointment (of course in himself), and self-hatred. 

Trinket nudged his hand in an attempt to get him to stand, and go back to his wife.

Instead the man slumped on the bench he had placed himself on, misinterpreting Trinkets gesture, “Of course I’m going to love him, he is my son, just as I love Vesper, just as I love his mother, and just how I love his twin. I just hate myself for having brought him a future of discrimination. Not everyone loves a teifling. They’re terribly discriminated against. But you’ve only met Zarah and her family, and Lilith I suppose, and you were with us, who don’t discriminate.”

Just then an abnormally large raven landed in the courtyard atop a lamppost, it turned a beady eye on Percy, whose face of shame quickly melted into one of annoyance, and then one of worry. “And what do you wa- oh gods, is there something wrong with one of the children?”

The raven seemed to nod, and then gestured to the window on the second floor next to the room Vex was in, where the tiny tiefling had been taken to be cleaned up. 

“No, no, no, you can’t take him from us!” He said in shock in desperation, and bolted for the back door to the house. He ran inside and dashed up the stairs, and opened the door to find his son still swaddled and squirming, and the raven now perched on the ledge of the window.

Sighing, he picked up the infant and opened the latch on the window, allowing it to open. As he rocked the baby back and forth like he would with Vesper, when she had been hungry and Vex was unable to feed her at that moment. The raven hopped in the room and onto the desk under the window, and Percy eyed it wearily. 

The next time Percy blinked, glancing down at the pale gray boy in his arms, a dusting of hair the same shade of Vex’s on his head, blue eyes the same shade as his own staring back at him, he heard a voice he hadn’t heard in three years- the one he’d last heard on his second wedding day.

“I do not know why I was worried you would not love him.”

Percy glanced up, somehow both surprised and not surprised to see the figure now sitting on the desk. Vax’ildan looked different than he had when Scanlan had wished his presence into being at his wedding. He still had the antler-like bone protrusion on his right shoulder, although he looked less pale and sallow then he had then. Percy briefly mused as he stared at his brother-in-law that it probably had to do with the presence of new life in the room, rather than Vex’s recent death that had occurred in Dalen’s Closet.

Ravens were now commonplace in Whitestone, a symbol of Vax still watching over them while he was physically gone, Keyleth had mentioned the same happening in Zephrah, and Scanlan, Pike and Grog in Westruun. But they all knew secretly that whenever the oversized raven appeared, that was Vax in disguise, coming to personally check in on them. 

“Of course I’d love him, why wouldn’t I?” Percy carefully shifted his son into one arm as he went to Vax and wrapped his free arm around him, “Why not show yourself sooner, you bastard,” He whispered as Vax stiffly returned the embrace, both of them careful not to squish the child. 

“I’m not allowed to break my queens rules. You should know that. However, I felt it was necessary this time,” Vax said, breaking the embrace, “and I had thought you’d hate him for showing your flaws.”

“No, I hate myself for him showing my past mistakes.”

“Is that the reason he hasn’t met his mother yet? Does she even know what he looks like? That he’s alive and not stillborn?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I was banned from the room after what happened when Vesper was born. I heard him cry, the midwife say ‘It’s a boy’ quickly, and then something about going to clean him up, and then he was brought in here where I was waiting, so I’m guessing I’m the only ones besides the midwives and nurses to have seen him.”

Vax laughed a little, it sounded hollow, like he shouldn’t be possible in his current form, but still like the laugh Percy had heard so often all those years ago, “Still the thinker, I see.”

Percy smirked, and looked back at the bundle in his arms. Still trying to pacify the obviously hungry child, “He probably should see his mother soon. I obviously can’t feed him.”

“You know you need to let go of those mistakes, or it will only make the future harder. You will see those deals in him every day. And although you will not try to resent him, you will grow to. And you will grow to resent yourself.”

Percy sighed. “You’re right,” he paused for a moment and looked at Vax, “Will your queen allow you to come with me to see your sister? I’m going to bring him to her.”

Vax smiled. “I am sure she’s watching, but I do desire that, even if she would not wish it.” He got off the desk and headed towards the door, opening it for Percy.

“Wait until I see if there’s anyone in there with her, besides the second child, of course. Don’t want you spooking any of the nurses.”

“Understandable.”

Percy opened the door to the room Vex was in, to see she was dozing peacefully as the second baby- Percy didn’t know this one’s sex, he was too busy having and exisestential crisis about his past deeds when they’d announced it- nursed. No one else was in the room. Vex gave out a soft, worried “Hello?” as he peeked inside. 

He turned his head and mouthed ‘wait here, don’t want to overwhelm her.’ to Vax, who nodded in response. 

Percy entered the room. Not hearing the pit-pat of little footsteps coming down the hall.

“I was wondering where the first one went…” Vex’ahila said, “he’s okay, isn’t he?”

“He’s as healthy as can be, just hungry, and, well, a reminder of my mistakes,” Percy said.

“What do you mean, Percival?” Vex questioned, sounding alarmed.

“I mean he’s a teifling. Pike warned us that the pacts I made with… them… could result in a teifling child,” Percy said quickly.

“Oh give him to me, I want to see what little Vax’ildan looks like.”

Percy jumped at the name, then relaxed, “I’d forgotten that's what we were going to name the first boy.” 

“Of course, and the second Percival IV,” she said and gestured to the second child who was currently nursing. He had the small pointed ears of Vesper, hinting at his elvan heritage, and the same dusting of hair that his twin had, except in a brown Percy could only see on Cassandra, since his had turned white.

“Dear, there is someone here to see you….” he started, trying to figure out how to say that her ethereal brother was standing in the hallway.

“Mommy! Daddy! There’s a spooky man in the hallway!” A voice far too loud to be around newborns yelled as their first-born, now three years old, entered the room.

“What?” Vex said, trying to sit up, upsetting the twins, as Vesper scampered over to climb on the bed before being scooped up by her father, who said “Hush, darling,” while laughing, and another laugh sounded from the hallway.

“Well I guess there are two people here to see you.”

There was a gasp as the Raven Queen’s Champion entered the room, the gasp came from Vex, who tried to sit up even more, almost dislodging the nursing twins.

“Vax!” She said hoarsely, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“Hello, Stubby.”

“How are you here?” she asked, reaching out to grab his hand as he came to the bed. He took it and squeezed it. Vex squeezed back.

“Sometimes I have to do what my Queen does not wish.”

Vex looked back down at the twins, and then back at her brother.

“You’re not here to take them are you?” she whispered fearfully.

“No. I am hear to talk you husband off a ledge of self-loathing,” Vax said flatly, causing Vex to glance at Percy in curiosity before remembering what her son looked like.

“Percival. We talked about it, you knew it would happen eventually,” she said.

Percy was about to answer when Vesper spoke up, in a very loud whisper, “Whose _that_ guy?” pointing at the older Vax.

Her mother chuckled, “Vesper, dear, remember the stories we’ve told you about your uncle Vax? Mommy’s brother?”

Vesper nodded, still staring at Vax’ildan.

“Well, I’m not quite sure how to tell you that your dead uncle is standing in this room, but he is.”

“Dear, you know how there are ravens, those big black birds, that like to sit in our backyard?” Percy started, and when Vesper nodded he continued, “Have you ever seen the bird that’s bigger than the rest of them?” Vesper nodded again, “We’ll, uncle Vax usually is that big raven, but today he decided to come talk to us so he could meet your brothers.”

“Brothers?” Vesper looked around, probably looking for another child her size. Her thoughts about the mysterious man who was apparently her uncle gone, “Where?” 

The two adults and the ethereal being laughed as Vex dislodged the nursing boys, earning unhappy noises from the newborns. Vex quickly readjusted her shirt as her brother averted his eyes. Vex picked up the baby teifling and handed him to her Vax’ildan, who looked very uncomfortable holding a child, because he was essentially an undead being, and had never had to hold a child before. It set of a pang of sadness in Percy’s and Vex’s hearts as they thought of Keyleth, who had not yet moved on from Vax, who would likely have had children with Vax had the Raven Queen not claimed him after Vecna’s death. 

Percy leaned over so Vesper could examine her brother, “Dearest, this is you brother Vax. Vax’ildan Julius de Rolo.” The older Vax’ildan looked surprised. As the young quarter-elf investigated the boy, Percy looked at him. “We decided the firstborn son would be named after you,” he said, “and my eldest brother, Julius.”

Vex now actually sat up from her reclining position, and Percy placed his daughter on the floor so she could see her youngest brother. “And this is Freddie,” Vex started, and glanced up at Vax, “Percival Fredrickstein de Rolo IV.”

“Of course,” Vax whispered as the child in his arms started to doze off, he was staring at the child that bore his name, as if he was memorizing his every feature of the teifling.

“But… why are they so small?” Vesper asked, “Was I that small?”

“Of course you were, my love,” Vex responded. 

There was silence in the room for a long moment, as the adults waited for Vesper to ask why her brother was gray. 

But it never came, apparently it was not important to the girl. 

The morning went on, the babies were passed around, and then returned to Vex to nurse, and eventually Vax felt his queen call. He sighed something about his inevitable punishment, and said his awkward goodbyes. Leaving Vex and Percy to think if they would ever seen him in this form again, given they thought they wouldn’t see him again after Dalen’s closet. 

That day, Vesper Elaina de Rolo never asked why her brother was a pale shade of gray, and not of the skin tone of their brother, or herself. She would one day, when the twins were a little older, maybe a few weeks. Percy gently explained that he had made some bad decisions in his past, and that led to a tiefling being born. Vesper asked what he had done, and Percy told her she could learn when she was much, much older.

Vex’ahlia and Percival decided not to tell any of Vox Machina or their allies that Vax’ildan had reappeared, but they did gather to meet the twins, and while they were each shocked at first to see that the younger Vax’ildan was a teifling, none of them were surprised. It was a happy time, and, at least in his growing up in his family, Vax’ildan Julius de Rolo never met judgement.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Comments, Kudos and Bookmarks appreciated!
> 
> (I wish I had been able to convey more of a conversation between Vax and Vex for their reunion. And I guess Vax and Percy’s reunion also, but I think I would have had to rewatch the Dalen’s Closet scene to remember Vax’s speech patterns in his ethereal form)
> 
> Also this was not beta read, we die like writers.


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